AN

Started this chapter on 08/01/17 – let's see how long it takes!

13/05/17 Can't believe this took another 4 months. Sorry for the wait, work, real life and a couple or rewrites in how I wanted this chapter to go. Mostly a filler setting up for the future but possibly some of you will get an idea of where I want to take this story.

It has to be said that Nos Astra is a beautiful city when seen from the view ports of Aria's corvette as night approaches, the setting sun picking out its towering spires of crystal, metals and glass in a dusky pink, while casting a latticework of lengthening shadow over the lower parts of the cityscape. It's beautiful but hidden in those shadowed spires is every form of crime, rot and corruption known to intelligent life from drugs to legalised slavery, with everything in between. I knew this from the game already but my partner on this little trip has been sure to explicitly tell me to not sign anything! We were on the transport within 2 hours of my meeting Furti at Afterlife, along with a squad of a half dozen of Aria's troops. Aria gave us their comm codes in the event we need assistance but they're not actually anything to do with our trip, Aria is simply rotating out one of the squad's she has permanently stationed on Illium. They're in unmarked nondescript combat leathers and once we're through the terminal they will go their own way, but it's nice to have the knowledge they're around if this trip goes straight to the Deeps as my Asari companions would say.

I suppose I should have been surprised at Aria assigning a corvette as our transport, but after a little thought and a conversation with Furti confirming my reasoning I wasn't. While not powerful enough to pick a fight with anyone serious, a corvette is still a military design and a hell of a lot tougher than any civilian ship. Although not spacious there is more than enough room for 8 passengers and our gear. The description that Furti gave me of the 'civilian' vessels that run passengers between Omega and Ilium reminded me of travelling baggage class on a cheap air carrier back in my previous life, so I'm more than happy with the corvette. Turns out there is a huge range of designs out there. Ours apparently is a 40 odd year old, Asari designed, Aqula class that Aria 'acquired' and refitted. The crew of 4 Asari are totally proud of their little ship whose name translates as 'Dartfish', and are happy to show me around and chat about its systems on our 30 hour voyage from Omega, as well as being happy to boast about its speed, apparently since its refit it's faster than almost every class of vessel out there bar the cutting edge. Makes you think that, Aria seems to have a predilection for going for quality over quantity where possible. This revamped corvette is more than tough enough to deal with any casual piracy and more than fast enough to escape just about anyone else. I wonder how many she's got? What kind of fleet she has access to?

Apart from talking with Furti and the crew, snoozing and Furti dragging me through exercise routines in workout gear, this trip is really the first 'downtime' I've had since I arrived on Omega. I'm taking the opportunity to try and make some plans for the future. Emphasis on the word try there. While I now have Aria on side and making plans to fight the Reapers, I have no idea if that's the right thing to do – it seems obvious that it should be but what if it screws everything up? That there is the real problem, I need to make a decision on what I believe.

Is Aria right? If even the 'best' result in the games involved billions dead and a galaxy in flames does that mean I should discard any concern about screwing up the progress of the games? If I try and keep a 'modified' canon am I simply condemning unknown numbers to death by lacking the bravery to try and do more? Is it worth throwing away what I 'know' for the chance to try and disrupt the Reapers more? Am I better off staying with Aria or trying to strike out on my own? Or even trying to take over Omega myself? Actually that last one's easy to answer, I may be physically tougher than Aria, and according to Omega's Queen my biotics are damn strong even without an amp, but Aria has over 280 years of bossing Omega, hundreds of years as a commando and mercenary, an immense amount of experience backing up her power. I couldn't take her in a straight up fight, certainly not yet, maybe sometime in the future as I learn more who knows? Even if I did, what would I do next? I'm nobody so far as the Terminus is concerned apart from some Batarians, Omega would come apart at the seams and with it the Terminus Systems. Realistically that's just as well, it's probably only a matter of time before my vampirism gets out and then I'm pretty sure the shit will hit the proverbial. Being part of Aria's organisation gives me access to resources, information, and a large element of protection.

Okay so no trying to become boss of Omega. Aria isn't going to just let me wander off doing my own thing, what I know is too valuable, which means I'm stuck with her for now. Which means I need to plan how to assist her tighten control over the rock, and how to ensure the Terminus survives, being so close to Batarian space the Reapers will be coming through the Terminus to get to everyone once they arrive. So what can we do to bunker down and survive the coming siege? Gonna have to ponder that one. Is it worth trying to assist Shepherd with the Collectors? Should I encourage Aria to form an alliance with Shepherd once she's trying to unify the galaxy? Fleet…I wonder if Aria has access to any dextro worlds?

My musing is interrupted as the Corvette's skipper coms us that we're landing in 2 minutes and to buckle in to our crash couches. It's an ex military vessel… it doesn't do seats. Thankfully the landing proves to be uneventful, and after the Dart's skipper pays the landing fees we are all free to leave. Aria's squad grabs their gear and head out the airlock with a few friendly good byes and waves, they seem like a good bunch, although fairly raucous. A few minutes later Furti and I are ready to go as well, Furti in her usual leathers and I have my armour back on. I spent most of the trip with it on, but without the helm, allowing Lexi to continue her optimization of the suit's systems. By now the Colossus suit feels pretty much like a second skin, and Lexi has reported that bar actual combat there is nothing else to do to improve the suit's performance. Just before we step out the airlock I don the helmet again, Furti throws me a questioning glance.

I explain, "The myths say that vampires are very badly affected by ultraviolet light. Ilium's sun produces more than twice as much as Earth's sun so I have no plans to risk it."

She pauses for a moment then nods in understanding.

"We should find some way to test that in controlled conditions Stern."

"Is that possible here?"

"We should be easily able to arrange some form of testing at the Armali Systems facility, the question of keeping your secrets is another matter. Or we could just buy a UV source and conduct the tests ourselves."

"So discretion or safety?"

"Correct."

"Then I guess we do that ourselves, see if we can find some type of UV source or torch. I'm more than a little worried about how many questions the scientist types are going to have anyway, without potentially giving away weaknesses."

"OK Stern, if that's how you want it. Aria is paying well for their lack of interest in you apart from your biotics but I agree it could still be an issue, this is Ilium after all."

With that she grabs her gear and I follow her lead grabbing the big hard case that holds most of my spare gear, as well as clothes my few personal bits and pieces I've acquired and a refrigerated supply of blood packs. Aria told me to make sure I was prepared for most everything I can be, so I brought all my personal weaponry along. As I finish my preparation, I ponder her words for a moment before making a decision.

"Lexi."

"Yes Nat?"

"Start monitoring local comms for anything concerning Furti and I and when we reach the Armali facility I want you to hack their systems. If you can I want you keep track of any of my data, and prevent it from being spread. Discretely if possible."

"Understood Nat"

Somewhat reassured that at least I am doing something to try and stay safe I follow the commando out of the 'Dartfish'.

Furti and I will be staying together at a 2 bed apartment that Aria has provided. It's on the 41st floor of a towering artwork of steel and glass. Furti gives me the address and tells me we're both already keyed into its security as she hands me an access card. The plan is we'll head there after an initial set of scans at an Armali owned facility called the Kynthiari Specialist Biotics Centre. The initial scans will apparently give the scientist types the data they need to work out what type of biotic amp will work best for me, and Furti and I will then use the next few days for commando training at someplace she has yet to tell me about until we're called back to the facility.

We summon a local aircab from outside the terminal, and a couple of minutes later our gear is stowed and we're enroute to the Kynthiari centre. The Asari driver looks like she wants to make conversation, but after checking out Furti's leathers and my armored form with polarised visor, decides we're not likely to be talkative, which is good because she's correct. Furti is lost in her thoughts and silent, and behind my closed visor I'm busy gawping at the alien architecture of my first Asari city, the huge amounts of traffic flying around its airspace in orderly lanes, and the surrounding landscape. Local time is only 3:35pm but this far North that has us on the verge of darkness, so I guess we're near Illium's winter, and as we make the journey the city below us is coming alive in a myriad of colour schemes as Nos Astra's lighting comes on. For all it's a seedy criminal world below, the Asari corporations that run the city haven't forgotten their species love of the aesthetic. It's quite beautiful.

A little after 4:00pm local time the aircab drops us off outside the now brightly lit biotics facility. We unload our gear, Furti pays the driver with barely a word and the cab takes off and rapidly vanishes into the night sky. Deciding I don't have to worry about the sun's UV now I remove my helm and stow it on my belt for easy access, then we head through the doors and into the immaculate reception area. Clearly the company is doing well if the minimalist but expensive décor and plush flooring is anything to go by, although I suppose that's the whole point to make you think that. We attract some attention from the staff and visitors in a waiting area, but as we're definitely not in civilian attire I guess that's natural. An Asari, a fairly young maiden I guess, is working as the receptionist. I don't really pay much attention as Furti talks to her, my mind busy wondering what happens next, as I watch those watching us. A minute or so later Furti taps my shoulder and I follow her straight into one of a bank of 4 elevators, rather than to a waiting area, and then start in surprise as we head down not up. I throw Furti a questioning glance.

"Aria booked a private lab along with a senior biotics specialist we've used before. Their more public facilities and offices are in the tower above, research and manufacturing are on 5 levels below ground. Kynthiari only supply the best when Aria calls."

"Well I guess their curiosity will be buzzing at least."

"This is the best facility on Illium Nat, and Aria arranging to have any human fitted for an amp here will attract some attention. You might have been better leaving the helm on as we came in but too late now. Whether you're more a curiosity as a human coming here, or as an anonymous female in sealed Colossus armour carrying a large equipment case is a moot point. This is Illium and word will spread soon enough."

"True enough I guess."

"Come on this is our floor."

I follow Furti while my HUD shows Lexi's progress on hacking the facility. I'm not sure whether to be proud or worried that the VI is already seamlessly through their first level of security. Not nervous either. Nothing to worry about at all. 20 minutes later and I've swapped armor for the bane of dignity across the damned galaxy – an open back medical tunic, and while I don't really feel the chill at all, I do feel damned uncomfortable being on display, while I wait for my exam. Sighing I step out of the lab's adjoining changing room, and head to my fate, um appointment.

"I don't think you need that."

Huh? I glance across at Furti who smirks and gestures down at my left hand, where I am surprised to see I'm holding my Armax Brawler. I stare at it for a long moment, I think I'm treating a gun as a comfort blanket, before glancing across at the lab's only other occupant – an Asari in at least her Matron years, dressed in the typical scientist type garb, and now looking a little disturbed, then back at Furti, who just laughs at my obvious discomfort.

"I guess I'm a little out of my comfort zone here Furti. I don't remember picking it up."

"We're secure here, I'm still armed and discretion is assured." My companion replies as she looks pointedly at the scientist who starts a little at the obvious prompt.

"Of course discretion is assured here, all medical data is confidential and we take our work for your sponsor very seriously Miss….?"

You take an anonymous client for Aria T'Loak and immediately want a name when I arrive? A polite enough query but even so. How fucking stupid do you need to be? If I or Aria wanted her to have my name she would obviously know, and truthfully I don't feel like being sociable. I frown and then force myself to try and stay polite at least as I stalk across the cold floor, taking in the mass of medical equipment all around. No point in making this more difficult than it has to be.

"Sorry you don't need to know Doctor. For simplicity you can call me Rayne. Where do you want me?"

I offer to shake hands, with my right and I put the Brawler on top of a handy piece of machinery. The scientist type hesitates a second, shakes my hand and introduces herself as Kyceria T'Vanna, and I briskly nod an acknowledgment. Insecurity is definitely making me cranky. The doctor tells me to step into the medical scanner. It's an upright unit with a circular floor panel to stand on and 2 floor mounted arms in a U arrangement which look like they will rotate around me. T'Vanna's explanation tells me that the cutting edge scanner will thoroughly map my nervous system and distribution of eezo throughout my body, and as I expected my skeleton, muscles, organs and circulatory system. So pretty much what I don't want then. Sigh. This modern miracle of privacy annihilation will take all of 60 seconds to make my life more complicated, which it will do by flashing all the information to a set of wall mounted displays for all of us to see. Fuck my life. A minute later the arms stop rotating as the scanning finishes and the screen displays a progress bar as it begins compiling the data. Furti is watching curiously. The Doctor merely looks impatient while my reflection in the black screen shows I look a mixture of impassive and resigned.

"How long to compile the information?"

"About 5 minutes Rayne."

"I'll get dressed then."

I don't wait for an answer and stalk back to the changing room and hurriedly start pulling on the Colossus suit. I'm getting quicker at putting on the armor with more practice. First the underlayer and then the individual armor sections but the 5 minutes still passes before I finish. A minute later I hear a hurried conversation break out in a language I don't understand. I grumble in irritation and slip the translator ear piece back in, and T'Vanna's voice becomes understandable. The changing room is surprisingly well insulated for sound, if I was still only human I wouldn't be able to catch the Asari demand to know what species I am as I'm definitely not human irrespective of what I look like. With a sigh I finish donning the Colossus suit, reattach my helm, and wait a moment for the armor to boot up, initialise the connections between the pieces and finish its auto adjustment. Then I step out to face the inquisition.

"What are you?" Wow, the Doctor doesn't waste any time as she spins around to me.

"Great bedside manner Doctor T'Vanna and how exactly is that your business?" I snap back at her.

"I'm a research specialist, and an exceptionally good one at that, my bedside manner as you call it is whatever I please. I very rarely work with individual clients, I normally design cutting edge biotic amp series for specialist applications so please don't waste both our time, and your patron's money. Now again what are you?"

Her answer and attitude is completely unfazed. Yay me. Well that's me told. Furti grins at the verbal slap down from out of the specialist's view, then nods that I should answer the question.

"I was human, then last thing I remember I was in an explosion, followed by waking up as I am now, and I can't give you a good answer to the question. I may be a one off." I sigh.

I know my tone is bitter and resigned but I'm not in the mood. I really don't want to call myself a vampire here, Athame knows where the information will end up. Actually I don't want to think about the one off bit either. There's a pause while T'Vanna stares at me before her expression changes to a surprisingly sympathetic look before gesturing my attention to her display.

"A mystery then. Hmm okay Rayne, my apologies for my bluntness, it was unhelpful." I give her a nod of appreciation for the apology and she continues. "I can safely agree that you're no longer human. If I knew nothing about you, and was shown these scans, I would say you are a new species. In the Republics I would be compelled to inform the Council of Matriarchs of a new naturally biotic species. Fortunately Illium has no such complications and given how much your sponsor is paying I understand completely your desire, and I will not investigate your physiology further. Our data security is very good so please don't be concerned. Biotics is what we are here to deal with so let us proceed. Agreed?"

I agree and swiftly she taps at her console for a moment and the 6 displays she has up on screen, shrink while a new trio open up showing, a Human, an Asari and myself. She gestures with a pointer as she talks.

"Humans are not a naturally biotic race, and their biotics are without fail the result of environmental eezo contamination, usually in utero that manifests in mutations. That is a scan of the eezo network of a human special forces biotic. As you can see there are a handful of nodes. Without a biotic amp a human is virtually ineffective even this soldier who has one of their 3rd generation implants. By comparison Asari evolved in a eezo rich biosphere and it is fundamentally part of our species. Virtually all Asari are biotic to some degree and you can see here the typical distribution of eezo nodes a Thessian native from the Northern hemisphere has."

I find myself reluctantly fascinated. The probably stolen scan of some soldier shows a random distribution of 7 small nodes tenuously linked to his nervous system and 1 that isn't. as well as the implanted amp and its connection to his nervous system. By comparison the Asari has maybe 20, all comprehensively linked to their nervous system, and the eezo nodes seem to be generally larger as well. Just looking at that comparison I can understand how the Asari are so competent and powerful in biotics by comparison. I pay attention as the Doc continues.

"Genetics does pay a part as well as steady environmental exposure to eezo as a child, but even an Asari from a Eezo void colony will have more nodes and links to their nervous system, they will just be underdeveloped. You understand?" I nod.

"Then this will show you why you are interesting Rayne." She blows up the scan image of my nervous system and eezo network. "You do have eezo in your nervous system but in a very different way to Asari."

She's not kidding. The scan shows my nervous system, considerably denser than a baseline human running from my brain, down through my spinal cord and branching throughout my body. At the base of my skull where nerves connect lies the organ that Mordin had mentioned when he scanned me, and everything runs through it and then down my spinal cord. I have no eezo nodes as such, but my whole nervous system glows with a trace eezo signature. Eezo in my nerves not in nodes. What the fuck does that mean? A glance Furti and the doctor shows they are staring at the display in fascination. Oh Goddess, now how do I go about avoiding being a lab rat from now on?

T'Vanna breaks my thoughts. "We will need to do some work to confirm this, however I am unsure what I can do to assist you Rayne, as I am virtually certain that a standard biotic amplifier will not work for you at all, either one designed for a Human or Asari. We would have to develop an alternate technology, and I'm not even sure if it's possible."

I know I look blank, right now I feel kind of blank, but it prompts her to continue. "What do you know about biotics Rayne?"

I shrug and think back to my talks with Serah "Honestly not a huge amount. I have them. Asari are taught by a process of meditation, visualisation and mnemonics. That's about it Doctor."

"And you have been taught this visualisation method?" I'm not sure why Furti and the scientist seem so curious about my answer but I nod in agreement.

"Serah taught me. The meditation isn't so great but the visualisation and mnemonics are okay. Why?"

"Serah seems like an intelligent young maiden," Furti comments "but she has nowhere enough experience to teach you this." T'Vanna hearing the word maiden looks shocked and then agrees with her nodding emphatically.

"Why? It didn't seem that hard. Visualise the pull or throw,warp or barrier or holding the damn stun grenades in the air and apply power, then link to a mnemonic when successful."

There is a long pause while the two Asari look at each other and then at me. I'm obviously missing something because they look, well somewhere between bemused and stunned. T'Vanna takes a deep breath, then lectures me while almost growling.

"You seem to be under a fundamental misconception Rayne, or perhaps several. Teaching Asari biotics starts with meditation from around the age of 10 as their body develops. The first few years of teaching is the process of meditation to become aware of one's eezo nodes. Without this awareness one cannot possibly visualise and develop the manipulation of the bodies' electrical energy to pulse the relevant nodes on command. Once you have learned to control the bodies electrical impulse to the nodes, comes learning how your individual nodes respond to varied impulses or constant current, how the eezo node influences the dark energy whose manipulation we call biotics, then developing this understanding to allow you to form basic biotic functions most often with the assistance of learning melds from your tutors. Every Asari is different and while the general possible responsible of nodes is understood, each student then has to learn their individual visualisation of how to produce a required skill or effect. Once the successful effect is produced only then can mnemonics be tied after much effort to it, tying that command or signal to the individual sequence of electrical impulses to fire one's eezo nodes in the required series or sequence. The mental discipline and skill needed for more than basic biotic control is considerable, and mastering the skill takes many years if not decades of study, and repetition."

"Oh." Understatement of the year. Fucking Oh. Intelligent response Nat. That seems a whole lot more fucking complex than Serah said. She's going to ask me what I do now isn't she?

"Is this what Serah had you doing?" Furti asks. The Doctor awaits my answer. Shit.

"Well no not exactly. She mentioned meditation which I had no real experience of, visualisation which I can do really well already and then the mnemonic link, and we went from there. She never went through this explanation."

"What exactly did you do then?"

"Well really I just concentrated on what skills I know already, pull, throw and a barrier."

"Yes?"

"I visualise the effect I want to achieve, how it looks, feels, how the power flows, what it does and then apply power until it works. It wasn't really a problem as I know I can do those skills, just had to focus on what I was doing more, step by step and the more I did it the easier it got as the visualisation got clearer and stronger." Seems simple enough to me.

Furti shakes her head and sighs. "You have no concept of what you're saying do you Rayne?"

"What?"

The Doctor glares at me. "What you do should be impossible. Is impossible. If I hadn't seen this scan I would throw you out for wasting my time as a liar, then send your patron an extremely large bill."

"Huh?" Eloquent aren't I?

"Gah, human, or whatever you are Rayne, you are describing shaping dark energy mentally and then releasing it without any conscious control of eezo nodes or your bodies nervous system. If we were in the Republics you would never see the light of day again! The Matriarchs would take one look at this and have you captured by any means necessary so they can study you, and determine if there is a way take your ability for themselves then bury you. Asari are long lived and our race has controlled this galaxy for centuries. As a unique individual you are dangerous, but if you can breed and pass this ability on then the control the Republics crave is potentially threatened, and they will react to this. Do you begin to understand the position you are in now?"

She is still glaring at me, wild eyed, while Furti is looking contemplative. I'm not terribly worried about T'Vanna– possibly unwisely I know very little about her, but Furti is a commando with 300 years of experience – if she decides I'm not leaving here there's probably not much I can do about it. I throw a glance at my Brawler without realising it, and when I look back at Furti she is looking me in the eyes with a serene expression on her face. Is that serene good, or serene I'm so terribly fucked bad? Furti speaks before I make things any worse.

"Have no fear Rayne, I do not count my debt to you as so little a thing as to betray you now, I have not served the Republics for many decades, and my affiliation with your patron is far stronger than with the Great Families. Please relax, I swear by the Goddess your secrets will be preserved however necessary."

Furti looks to the Doctor while I try and sigh quietly in relief. Okay so Furti is onside, Lexi can hopefully secure the data, now what do I do about the scientist? A bleep on my omnitool catches my attention and I note the text message from my 'VI' that it has the facility servers hacked and has already got the data from the scans copied, and secured where it can be irretrievably deleted. Lexi's getting better at reading my intentions I guess. Still scary though. T'Vanna however has gone paler blue as she hears Furti's statement. Given Aria's involvement as my sponsor I really doubt that she is under any illusion what 'however necessary' may mean.

"Extreme measures won't be necessary I assure you," T'Vanna replies with a surprisingly calm voice. "I am contracted to assist her discretely and will do so. While I may not be able to make a biotic amp for Rayne, at least in the short term without more research, there is still plenty that can be done to assist her."

"Okay Doctor, I'm glad to hear this won't be a wasted trip. As long as we can guarantee data security I would be happy to hear what else you can offer?" I ask curiously my insecurity eased by knowing Lexi has my data secure, even if T'Vanna herself could still be a risk.

"First thing would be to assess your biotics in the process of using them. How much of your ability is used in each biotic usage, how easily can you learn a new biotic skill, and can you improve new skills and how quickly, all would be useful for you to know. In addition we have an extensive database on biotic skills. With access to these you may be able to reproduce skills that most would not know of. You may be able to learn many techniques in a fraction of the time that Asari take to learn and master only a few." T'Vanna taps away at her screen as she talks.

"I hadn't realised there were that many techniques, I know of a few that seem common like pull, throw, and barrier, plus you have singularity and warp that seems less common."

My commando friend answers me.

"In truth Rayne there are hundreds, some specific to certain families, or military units like Huntresses or Commandos, others to orders like the Justicars. Most Asari who are civilian never learn more than the basics, and very few maidens will be particularly skilled, because of the time it takes to and learn an ability and understand it in depth. With a good biotic amp much more becomes possible, but the skill still needs to be learned and honed plus depending upon an Asari's individual configuration of eezo nodes it may be impossible to learn certain skills. If you can learn other techniques without conscious manipulation of your eezo then you are potentially as dangerous in combat as some matriarchs even if you lack their experience."

I nod slowly as I try and get my head around what Furti is saying – being versatile could be a big equalizer. My companion pauses a moment before continuing.

"You used throw before at the compound assault."

"You know I did."

"Did you realise that throwing someone up vertically is far beyond most users of that skill?"

T'Vanna swings around to me before I can answer. "What's this? Explain please." She's all scientist again not remotely nervous now.

"I was in combat and needed to get rid of a Batarian so I Threw him up. Coming down killed him." I shrug. T'Vanna looks mildly nauseated, then her eyes widen and she starts talking rapidly.

"I have to see! Demonstrate on the chair there. Wait let me get a scan." She orders me and preps her omnitool. Furti shrugs her approval and a flicker of my power slams the desk chair into the lab ceiling with a metallic thud, mangling the chair's frame in the process. T'Vanna gazes at her omnitools display before spinning around to me.

"That was completely different from Throw! Throw is a surge of force horizontally from you to the target – very effective if combined with a pull to suspend a target in the air. You just launched a surge of power upwards from under the target. You controlled where the force originated from, and the direction! This could be revolutionary…if I could learn…have to measure..."

I guess T'Vanna is impressed, she's off in her own thoughts and studying the scan she just took while Furti and I look at each other holding a silent now what conversation. I'm all for getting the fuck out while Furti sighs and attracts the scientist's attention again..

"Doctor T'Vanna, while we are prepared to consider helping you with some research, we came for an amp. That appears impossible now – so what practical assistance can you offer? If there is nothing useful here we will need to leave..."

"Leave? No no, the potential for improvements to biotics here is substantial, and I am certain we can come to an arrangement," the Asari scientist looks horrified at the prospect of my leaving, followed by thoughtful and calculating in equal measure. Not really comforting…why the fuck didn't I leave my helmet on when we arrived? You stupid bitch Stern, I can't just kill T'Vanna and wipe everything, even if Lexi can wipe the facilities systems there are still witnesses from Reception, and a massacre will get I-Sec involved plus whoever is the firm's 'security' which is almost certainly Eclipse. Nope, I really really don't want Jona Sederis on my case. I shudder. That is to be avoided. Guess I need to bargain then.

"Okay Doctor T'Vanna what are you offering for my time?"

A little over 3 hours later and Furti and I arrive at the apartment we will be using while in Nos Astra. Night has fallen properly and the view from the 28th floor balcony is stunning. The bargaining session with the scientist was politely ferocious, but eventually we settled on a deal. My day from 9:00am to 13:00 belongs to the scientist. I've agreed to act as a lab rat, on the understanding that all data is completely anonymised, although T'Vanna doesn't know yet that Lexi has my data locked up. I suppose that could be an interesting conversation in the morning assuming she tries to take a copy of my scan data home to study. She's agreed to the data not leaving her secure lab under any circumstances, but somehow I think scientific 'enthusiasm' will try and 'bend' that rule. Hopefully Lexi is better at data security than the good Doctor is at hacking.

In exchange for submitting to non invasive research and her barrage of machines scanning while I perform biotic tricks on command I will get a full copy of the data, a copy of their database of known biotic techniques as well as a place to practice what I want (under observation of course) while I'm here. T'Vanna has agreed to try and develop a form of amp that will work with my nervous system assuming her initial research gives her any potential routes forward. She only has me for 10 days at 4 hours a day so producing a brand new form of biotic amp is not happening yet. While I'd been haggling with her over the terms of our deal I got her to agree to supplying 2 cutting edge amps for Asari – no reason that Furti and Serah can't benefit from this deal- and an hourly pay rate of 15,000 credits. 0.6 million credits for being scanned. Crazy money.

After we get back to the apartment, I tell Furti my plans for the amps, and I do believe I succeeded in pleasing my deadly friend, if the slow surprised blink, followed by a quick hug of thanks is an indication – I belong to her the rest of the time we are here and keeping on Furti's good side may have been a factor in my getting her a new amp, so mission accomplished there. Furti comments that the amps and pay are proof that T'Vanna is serious about the research. I kind of agree but ask for her reasoning.

"Nat the Amp you are giving me…When I left the Republic commandos I kept my special issue Amp. That was 14 years ago. Even with advances in technology, the Amp I kept is a cut above what any civilian and most military would have access to. This Amp, based on the specs T'Vanna gave us when I install it will boost my power levels by more than 26%, and my stamina by better than 17%. On the open market it would cost more than 400000 creds."

"I didn't realise this stuff cost that much Furti. I guess that means T'Vanna really is serious about this. I was planning on giving the other one to Serah." I inform my room mate.

Furti is silent for a moment then breaks into full deep laughs before she gets herself together to reply. "Compared to what that maiden will have it will make her feel like a goddess Stern. That's a serious gift to one who does not know how to get the best from it." She gazes at me knowingly.

"You think I shouldn't give her it?" A little uncomfortable with where the conversation is going now.

"I think if your intention is to keep her safe then it is a worthy gift, and it will undoubtedly make her a more potent foe, for all she is only a maiden."

"That's what I was thinking. I believe she has been trained by military or former military Furti." Not my place to spill Serah's story if she hasn't done so.

"Quite possible Nat, in that case I expect she will have good basics but unless she is truly a prodigy, she won't get the best from the new amp."

"So she needs more training? What would it take to improve her skills to the level of a commando Furti?" I ask the question carelessly.

The former Major's mouth drops open before she snaps it shut and shakes her head at me, frowning as she speaks.

"Stern it would take your friend decades of training, living only for preparing for war to become a commando. She may have raw ability and some power, but even with that amp it would take her years of constant practice to become the biotic equal of one of my former sisters. She may get there in time, but it will take exactly that, a lot of time plus dedication, even if she only pursues the biotics and neglects the other skills."

"It really means so much to be a commando? Humans have commandos and special forces and they train for years as well to be the best, but not decades." Furti glares at me. "I mean no offence, but I don't understand the difference Furti."

"I have been retired for years Stern, but I have kept in touch with my former sisters. I've heard a bit about Human warriors, never really fought them though. I lived a quiet life after my retirement and no human ever visited our colony. My sisters tell me your Alliance marines are good warriors, well disciplined and trained acceptably although their equipment is shit. All species have their own strengths and ways of fighting evident in their best forces, Salarian STG are all about deception and stealth. Batarians SCU are about psychological warfare, the application of fear. Krogan don't have special forces but they embody resilience while the Alliance typically fights by applying overwhelming firepower whenever possible. Your N7 troopers are the only ones I have heard of humanity having that could ever equal a true Asari commando. I think possibly your confusion is with the translation commando. Asari are no better individually than humans although our biotics and healing do give us a significant advantage. Fewer than 1 in a million ever becomes a true commando Stern. If many Asari revere Athame, then in truth commandos are acolytes and priestesses of the arts of war. They are weapons and live for war in the service of the Republics, Temples or Great Houses, and those who survive are almost the Avatar or embodiment of warfare so far as Asari are concerned. Only Justicars are more revered and feared. Matriarchs are almost always biotically powerful by virtue or having survived through their matron years, but even Matriarchs treat commandos with respect. A matriarch may well have more biotic practice, skill and power, but very few Matriarchs spent their entire lives fighting, and even fewer were commandos, as the vast majority don't survive their full service to the Republics."

I give her a respectful nod. I think she just gave me a better understanding of how deadly she, and Aria is.

"Thank you for making that clearer Furti. I know that Aria has asked you to begin training me, and I know I have no real comprehension of what that will mean but I will do my best to do justice to it. If Serah was willing to learn, would you be willing to teach her as well?"

There's a long pause.

"She means quite a lot to you Stern."

I guess she does at that, she's my friend I guess and I could see her being more. Possibly. Definitely hot though. I guess my expression must give her an idea of my thoughts. Furti gives a snort of amusement, the tension fading from her as she chuckles at me.

"To be young again. I cannot teach her the biotic skills of a commando, not without years of practice, but yes I can drill her in the other arts if she is willing, train the instincts. You however, you we will find out exactly what you can do. Aria wants you to be able to survive and while you have some significant advantages, you're raw. If what T'Vanna said is correct then I may well be able to train you as a commando, in fact if you are able to be as adaptable as she theorises then you will be truly deadly. We will see. Enough for now, in the morning you will begin testing, then I will meet you there to begin training."

"Okay Furti. I will see you tomorrow."

With a nod, she heads for her room and leaves me with my thoughts. Oh boy.